Mount Urgull is a hill by the ocean sitting at the heart of the Basque city of San Sebastián. The hill (123 m at its highest point) became a defence point since the early ages of the city foundation in the 12th century, but the walls and the military structure were reinforced especially after the modern state boundaries took shape in the 16th century.

The hill is topped by a stronghold (headquarters, barracks and warehouses), the Mota Castle, and it had a chapel and a conspicuous 12 metre-long sculpture of Jesus Christ added in 1950, now towering over the bay. The hill (as well as the city) was a hotspot for military operations, like the ones of the Siege of San Sebastián (1813) and the assaults of 1823, 1836 and 1876 (Carlist Wars). It had an advantage being so high up, soldiers could see their enemy coming.

Donostia, as it is called in the native Basque, rose to prominence in the mid-19th century when it became the seaside resort of choice for Spain’s Queen Isabell II and later, Queen Maria Cristina, who set up her summer court in the Miramar Palace, overlooking La Concha beach.

San Sebastián is the official European Capital of Culture for 2016! It’s the principal city of the province of Gipuzkoa in the Basque Country, Spain.

It’s the land of Pintxo bars and the legendary “Old Town”, dating back to when the city was founded in 1180.
The annual “Saint Thomas’s Day” takes place on December 21st, when the city turns into an enormous country market of which the absolute star is the “txistorra” (fresh chorizo-like sausage). Stalls are set up all over the city, offering all sorts of food and craft wares, mostly produced by the people from the local farmhouses. These include cheese, honey, txistorra sausage, cider and cakes.

Goats on show4-horned ram… said to have magical propertiesBusy street in the Old TownYoung girls + boys on the streets singing is common for Christmas time. Note the traditional Basque clothingRoasting a pig!Typical Pintxo bar serving Pintxos which are part of the local cuisine, as well as local red wine or “Txakoli” – a sparkling white wine exclusive to the regionA citizen buying his meat at the supermarket for Christmas dayOlentzero the coal man, the Basque version of Santa Claus